Ponies: The Final Frontier
by mint20
Summary: The crew of the Enterprise has seen many foes and defeated them all. But when an unfortunate encounter sends them hurling across space and time, they are forced to make contact with a species ripped straight from Earth's mythology. Unfortunately, an unstable political situation may get them involved in an ongoing war between two rival factions.
1. Chapter 1

Hey everypony! It's crossover time!

Please, _please _give me some feedback for this one. Good or bad, I want to hear your opinion!

* * *

Chapter 1

_Ponies: The Final Frontier_

Crystal Empire

March 18, 1015 Celestial Year of Peace

The Princesses of Equestria stepped forward, wings spread. One of them, lavender colored, much shorter, and with a smaller wing span, looked up to her former mentor.

"Remind me, why did we bring all these troops to a peace meeting?" she asked, not quite understanding.

Her mentor, Princess Celestia, smiled warmly at her former student's naïve. "Princess Twilight, you know the changelings as well as I do. I don't want us to fall into a trap, do you?"

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the third Alicorn saying, "Quiet. They approach."

Sure enough, a host of changelings, some five hundred strong, and headed by none other then the Queen of Queens herself, Chrysalis, was approaching, marching over the frozen tundra of the Crystal Empire. The factions were not quite within the city boundaries, so they were all exposed to the freezing temperatures of the snow.

Twilight shifted slightly in place, feeling nervous. She had never acted as an official diplomat of Equestria before, though it was within her duties as a Princess.

"Relax Twilight. You'll do fine. If you're uncomfortable, just don't speak. We've got you."

Twilight looked up and smiled, slightly ruefully. "I know. It's just, this is a peace meeting with the Confederacy of Changeling Hives. What if I mess up?"

"Why do you think we are here?" Princess Luna responded. "We will help you."

"Indeed," said Celestia. "Either way, we brought you here so you could learn, not to do the negotiating. One day, you might be the one who is doing this."

Twilight shivered slightly at the thought of this. Before she could say anything, though, the trumpets up ahead started blaring.

Celestia nudged Twilight. "Go. We will follow."

Twilight swallowed her fear and begin trotting forward, a little quicker than the occasion demanded.

"Slow down," hissed Luna, "but don't take _too_ much time."

Twilight started slightly, then adjusted her pace accordingly.

"Excellent. Now, stop shaking from head to hoof. Relax a little, will you? We won't let you make a mistake."

Twilight grinned, but quickly wiped the smile off her face, as they were approaching the city limits. As they passed through the the shield, the temperature rose sharply to match springtime in Ponyville.

The royal delegation continued their slow march, crossing the ground of the Crystal Capitol. The streets, normality bustling with ponies engaged in all matters of business and luxury alike, were oddly clear. Instead, the streets were lined with ponies. Most of them were guards, but a good quarter were civilians, watching the delegation pass. The tension was think enough to cut with one of the soldier's swords.

As they approached the city center, another Alicorn trotted up, this one pink and shorter than Celestia and Luna, but taller than Twilight. As the two factions approached, Twilight saw a for a brief moment a flicker of blue magic on her horn, then it vanished.

The two factions halted before each other, and paused, sizing each other up. Then, after both sides had deemed that the other presented no substantial threat, they bowed stiffly to each other.

Princess Cadance stepped into the space that separated the parties, and proclaimed, with her voice magically amplified, "Greetings, all. Today is a momentous occasion. The two warring factions, the sovereign nation of Equestria and the United Confederacy of Changelings, have agreed that war between their powers is counterproductive and useless and has thus requested that the pointless bloodshed be ended. I would like to remind everypony present of the war's history. The Equestrian-Changeling War was declared by Equestria on August 4, 1013 CYP, two days after the Battle for Canterlot. The war has been fought..."

Bored, Twilight suppressed a yawn -bored due to the fact that she had already researched a great deal of the history of the war on her own time _and_ been extensively briefed on the topic - and stole a glance around the square. Mostly, the solemn faces of guards were her only greeting to her glances, but, in a turn of events that surprised her, she caught the eye of her five friends – six, if one counts Spike. She was only able to hold their gaze for the briefest of moments before she had to refocus her attention to Princess Cadance, who was saying, "And know, I call upon the factions to identify their delegates."

As they were the petitioners for this peace, the Equestrian representatives went first. Stepping forward, Princess Celestia said, "I am Celestia, Princess of Equestria, Eldest of the Royals, Bringer of Day, et cetera, et cetera." Finished, she stepped back.

Being Luna's turn, she stepped forward and said, "I am Luna, Princess of Equestria, Warmistriss of Equestria, Ruler of the Night, et cetera, et cetera."

As she stepped back, Twilight suddenly became aware it was her turn. Nervously, she stepped forward as well and said, slowly gaining confidence, "I am Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria, Head of the Council of Harmony, et cetera."

After she returned to her former position, she couldn't help but glance in the direction of her friends. For the most part, they were all grinning, rather stupidly.

Her attention was drawn though, when the changeling Queen began to speak. She said, "I am Chrysalis, Queen of the the Changeling Queens, the Chosen One, Master of Deception, the strong sword of my people, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

With the factions introduced, the pink Alicorn spoke again. "And I am Cadance, Princess of the Crystal Empire, Defender of Love, Champion of Crystals, et cetera, et cetera. And I represent the voice of logic and reason, for the Crystal Empire has been called to meditate these peace talks. As such, on behalf of my people, I forswear any relation, friendly or otherwise, my realm has with either party. Do both parties recognize this?"

"On behalf of Equestria, we do," proclaimed Celestia.

"On behalf of the United Confederacy of Changelings, I do," affirmed Chrysalis.

"Then all is right and proper. Both parties have forfeited their right to challenge my ability as mediator. We may now proceed." Addressing the larger portion of observers now, she said, "I do now hereby charge you, ponies and changelings alike. I charge you to seal the door to the Great Hall, and to not suffer to allow anypony or anything to interfere with meetings within. For if that is allowed to pass, death and sorrow will be the only reward for the conferences today." With that happy note, she turned and lead the delegates from both nations into the grand building. The doors boomed shut behind them, and were bound with chains. Two guards, one pony and one changeling, crossed their spears over the entrance. Around the massive doors, the armies formed up, ready to die to stop anything from interfering the with the meetings within.

* * *

_Captain's Log, Stardate 44045.8_

_ Having completed upgrades in defenses and armament following the Battle of Wolf 359, we have been deployed to the border of Cardassian space, while a hastily-constructed fleet of a half-dozen starships is scrambled to reinforce the Romulan Neutral Zone, should they attempt anything. Rumors of a terrorist organization that threatens Cardassian government have been circling, and have reached Starfleet Command. Seeing as one of the founding ideas of this organization is the idea that the Federation is the source of all of Cardassia's evil, Starfleet is understandably concerned._

"Computer, end and save log entry."

The computer beeped confirmation, and filed away the recording.

The captain, a balding man of sixty two, sighed heavily. Reclining slightly, he closed his eyes for a brief moment. He soon got up, though, and walked over to the replicator that was on the nearby wall.

"Tea. Earl Grey. Hot," he said to the computer, biting off his words. An old tradition with the computer, it almost seemed. He reached to grab the cup, but then a triple beep interfered. "Bridge to Captain Picard."

He sighed, and then he tapped his combadge. "Picard here."

"Sir, we are approaching Cardassian space."

"Acknowledged. I'm on my way."

_Not even able to drink a cup of tea anymore around here,_ he thought, slightly amused. He pulled down his shirt and exited the ready' room to the bright bridge.

"Report."

"We shall arrive at the border of the Cardassian-Federation Demilitarized Zone in five minutes, Captain," responded the android at the helm of the vessel.

"Bring the ship to yellow alert, but keep the shields down for now," the captain said. "We don't want to appear to be _too_ provocative."

"Acknowledged."

"You think there out there?" the captain's second in command, Commander Riker, asked.

"I know it," whispered Picard. "I just can't prove it."

The was a low hum as the ship dropped out of warp.

"Sensors?" Picard inquired.

Lieutenant Worf, the only Klingon in Starfleet, tapped the com, only to shake his head. "No craft, military or otherwise, in this sector," he said.

"Confirmed," reported Lieutenant Commander Data. "However, I am reading several nebulae that a ship could potentially hide in...sir! Several _Galor_ class warships approaching! They are powering up weapons!"

"Shields!"

"Too late, sir!"

The entire vessel rocked violently, sparks flying. The interior lights suddenly changed to red and flashed repeatedly.

"Damage report!" yelled Commander Riker.

Data entered a few commands on his console, and reported, "Severe damage to defector shield array and port warp nacelle. Multiple casualties reported."

"Get us out of here, maximum warp!" Picard yelled. However, Data was already shaking his head.

"The port warp nacelle has depolarized. Warp travel is impossible."

"Fine! If we can't run, we will fight! Target phasers on the nearest vessel!" barked Riker. "Fire when ready!"

The distinctive triple chirp of weapons fire was heard on the bridge, followed almost immediately by another rocking as the _Enterprise_ took another hit on the hull.

"Report!"

"Direct hit. Moderate damage to vessel's weapons and shields."

"And our damage?"

The ship shook violently as the _Galaxy_-class vessel took another hit.

"Main power offline. Hull breach on decks 38 and 39."

Yet another rocking, this one followed up with a call of "Engineering to Bridge."

"Bridge here," replied Picard. "Please, some good news, Geordi."

"Good news is the _last_ thing I have," replied Chief Engineer La Forge. "That last blast crippled any scrapes of shielding we have left and destabilized the magnetic fields surrounding the antimatter. I'm trying to maintain field strength, but I'm not sure about this one."

"Understood. Standby to eject the core, if necessary, and keep me posted. Picard out." To the Klingon behind him, the captain said, "Tactical situation?"

"Nine _Galor_-class starships. They have not broadcasted any demands, nor have they answered any attempt at communication. Sensors indicate that they do not have full crew compliments."

"Normally, no match for the _Enterprise_," Commander Riker muttered.

"Sir, they are firing again!"

Several fires broke out on the bridge. The fire suppressors soon activated, but the science stations and one of the helms were rendered completely inoperable.

There was a blinding flash of light, and a man appeared on the bridge, clad in the red and with the markings of a Starfleet captain. "Well, well, well, _mon capitaine_. It appears _somebody_ has gotten careless with their shiny vessel."

The entire battle halted for a moment, as every bridge officer turned to stare at the newcomer.

"Q," Worf snarled.

"Microbrain! How wonderful to see you!" Q exclaimed. Suddenly becoming serious, he said, "Unfortunately, we have no time to waste on such pleasantries."

"Q, what do _you_ want?"

"Why, I am here for two reasons. One, it is simply so amusing to watch you mortals try to rip each other into shreds." With that, he snapped his fingers and a huge tub of popcorn materialized in his hands. Eagerly, he chowed down.

"I don't had time for this," Picard muttered. As if to punctuate his words, the vessel's lights shorted out and sparks flew everywhere as another few weapon blasts landed on the hull.

"Sir, warp core going critical!" yelled Geordi over the intercom. "There's nothing I can do to stop it!"

"All hands, abandon ship!" bellowed Picard, to...nobody. The entire bridge, even the flames, seemed to have stopped right where they stood. All except for one, that is.

Q, his face deadly serious, learned forward. "As amusing this is," he said, "it can't continue."

"Q, what the devil do you mean!?" yelled Picard. "I'm in the mist of battle, I have no time for your foolishness."

Q snorted. "Again, only concerned with yourself and your crew. Let put it in terms you will understand, then. _You aren't supposed to be here._"

"What-"

"Blah. Fine, I'll spell it out for you. _This,_" he said, sweeping out his arms to indicate the stricken ship and its attackers, "is wrong. This is an alternate timeline, one where you meet the Cardassian True Way years before you where meant to. In _this _timeline, the _Enterprise_ will be destroyed with all hands lost. One thing will lead to another, and, next thing you know, the entire United Federation of Planets comes crashing down around your ears. No, this is not your timeline. In the correct- nevermind. But I plan to get you out of here."

Picard looked slightly shocked and a little suspicious, but Q had never truly lied to the crew of the Enterprise before. Still slightly suspicious, Picard narrowed eyes and asked, "Did you bring us to this alternate reality?"

"I'm wounded that you would even ask such a thing! I don't want you to be here any more than you do," replied Q.

Picard raised an eyebrow, but stowed his skepticism and said, "Well, if you're here to get us out of here, THEN GET US OUT OF HERE!"

Q smiled and nodded slowly, then snapped his fingers. With a lurch, the _Enterprise_ suddenly joined real-time, and was swiftly knocked out of the Cardassian's weapon range.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Riker. "We were just fighting, and-"

"La Forage to bridge!" came a call over the intercom. "Our warp core has stabilized! In fact, it appears that we didn't even fight anybody!"

"Acknowledged," replied the captain. He then turned to his crew and said, "In the middle of the battle, Q pulled me out of time. He said-"

Another flash of light. "_I_ said that you guys really shouldn't be here, and so I sent you off on your merry way to another planet. You fancy yourselves explores? Let's see what you make of this other world."

"Wait, I thought you said that you were here to restore the correct timeline!"

"Wrong!" Q exclaimed. "I said that I was here to get you out of the false timeline, not to correct the problem."

Picard heaved a heavy sigh, then said, "You're correct, of course."

"Of course!"

"So, what now?" asked Riker.

"Lieutenant Data," said Q. "Be a pal and scan this system. See where you are in correlation to the rest of the galaxy and look for any Class M planets."

"Accessing," Data responded. "We appear to be near the Galactic Barrier, within the Gamma Quadrant, but near the Delta Quadrant. We are over twenty thousand light years away from the nearest starbase. At warp nine, it will take at least ten years, eight months, fifteen days, twenty-two hours, and forty-seven minutes to return to Federation territory. A long range sensor sweep have reveled a single Class M planet, in a system with a star remarkably similar to Sol. Unlike the Sol system, however, this planet is alone in the system, and -" here, Data checked the readings, certain there was something wrong. "Captain, there is certainly some form of interference."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Sir, according to these readings, the star and the planet's moon both orbit the _planet_."

Here, Q giggled, and when the bridge crew turned to him, he smiled and said, in between laughs "A planet that defies everything you think you know about physics! I wonder what else is new?"

"Shut up!" barked most of the crew simultaneously.

"Data, lay in a course for the planet," the captain said, interest gripping his words. "Let's see if we can find some sort of explanation for this anomaly."

"Aye sir, course laid in."

"Engage."

* * *

"Captain, we approaching the planet."

"Establish standard orbit, helm. Now, Data, first analyze the the planet, then sweep this entire star system."

"What are we looking for, Captain?"

"Everything! Anything that could possibly explain this veritable middle finger to every law of physics."

"Oh, don't worry Picard," Q snickered. "You'll find out soon enough. Not that you will believe what you are seeing, but you will find out very soon."

"Captain, preliminary reports on the status of life on this planet are coming in now." said Data.

"Finally, some answers. Analysis?"

"Sir, a great deal of the flora and fauna alike seem to bear some kind of striking similarity to pre-industrial Earth."

"Any intelligent life?" the captain asked quickly.

"Yes, sir. Several cities and villages have been detected across the planet. Technology levels seem to be consistent with medieval Earth, but there are instances of much higher technology scattered throughout the planet. There appear to be many different dominate species, but one of the most populous appear to have...equine...characteristics.

"Equine? Onscreen!"

An image appear on the main view screen, and there was a collective gasp on the bridge.

Sure enough, there were horses who seemed to be wielding tools and even...

"Wait...is that horse opening a door...WITH ITS MIND?!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Ponies: The Final Frontier_

The Changeling Queen smashed her hoof into the the table, screaming, "That is extortion! You know that I cannot afford tariffs that high! I _so _saw this coming. You are using our want for peace to force your agenda on us! Well-"

Here, Princess Luna bolted up. "How dare thou accuse us so!" she yelled, reverting to her old habits of speech.

Princess Celestia jumped to back her sister up, saying, "

She would have said more, but here, Twilight, who had up until now been watching this train wreck known as diplomacy silently, decided to step in.

"Ladies," she said. When nopony listened to her, she yelled, "Hey! Does anypony still care about the spirit of this meeting?" At this, the three other leaders shut up and listened to her, but they still shot each other glares every now and then.

With a good portion of the council's attention, Twilight continued, "Now, this is absurd! We came here to end the war, but it's about to recommence because we can't agree over a fraction of a percentage point! Now, neither nation can afford to continue our little quarrel. But may I remind you, Queen Chrysalis, that even though your forces currently occupy Appleosa, Equestria is in control of many of your territories. If hostilities resume, Equestria holds the upper hoof."

"Well..."

* * *

_Captain's Log, Supplemental_

_ Having just been thrown across the galaxy by Q, we are over ten years from Federation territory. On top of this, we have found ourselves at a very strange system with a just as strange dominate species. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested._

"Horses, micro-brain?" Q shot back. "Watch your mouth! Those are **ponies**, and you should refer to them as such. Now, where to begin?"

"You can start," said Commander Riker, "with explaining to us what we have to do here before you return us to the Federation."

"Oh, yes, that," said Q. "Right know, I want you to go down to meet the equine population."

There was a stunned silence. "That easy?"

"Oh, no way," replied Q. "No, no, there's more, but you'll have to figure it out yourself."

"Q, you know we can't do that," yelled Picard. "That is a clear violation of the Prime Directive!"

"Ha! Ha!" Q laughed. "You seriously think I care? If you refuse, I can simply put you down there myself. However, I think I would like to see how these kinds of things are done on a starship. You know, as long as it doesn't become too boring. Oh, and one more thing. Picard, I _really_ think you should lead this one." With that, Q snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Captain, we have received a set of coordinates," said Data. :They seem to point us to a city in some kind of frozen tundra. There is an anomaly high number of creatures there, and not all of them are equine, like the ones we saw a moment ago."

Picard blinked a few times, then said, "Onscreen."

Data tapped the com, but nothing happened. "Sir, there appears to be some kind of distortion. I can't seem to get a visual lock on it."

"Curiouser and curiouser. Recommendations?" asked Picard.

"Captain, I recommend-" Commander Riker didn't have a chance to finish, though.

Suddenly there was another bright flash of light, and Q reappeared. "Well, since you won't do it, I'll just have to introduce you people myself!

"No! Q! Wait!" yelled Picard, but too late. Q snapped his fingers, and the bridge vanished, replaced by a snow-covered landscape. Looking around, Picard saw Wolf, Riker, and Data with him.

"Report," he said, suppressing a shiver.

Data pulled out a tricorder and began scanning. "We appear to be near the coordinates given to us by Q."

There was yet another bright light, and Q materialized beside them. "Greetings, _mon capitaine._ Now, shall we begin?"

"Yes! Let's get this over with!"

"Temper, _mon capitaine_. I can gurrentee that, in a few minutes, you will not be so eager to leave. Now, listen closely. You are within the Crystal Empire, a small nation of ponies that, for some reason, decided to settle in a frozen tundra. Their reasons have escaped me, but I think it has has something to do with the fact that this is relatively near the ancestral home of ponies. To the south is the much larger nation of Equestria. Despite their rocky history, these two nations cooperate very well nowadays, even forming a very tight alliance. In fact, many outsiders even consider them to be one and the same. Big mistake, if you ask me. Both nations are very patriotic and proud to be of their respective nations."

"Your point, Q?"

"Well, you've only heard part of the story so far. Like all nations, Equestria has its archenemy, a loose collection of city-states known as the United Confederacy of Changelings. Things were under control until...hold on!" Q's eyes lit up.

"What? What is it?"

Q gave a knowing smile. "Why am I telling you this? Far more interesting if I just let you figure it out on yourself. Go now. A kilometer or so north will bring you to a city. It's the capitol of the Crystal Empire. Figure it out from there." With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Well, that was interesting," said Riker.

"Q," Worf spat, but quickly composed himself. "Captain, we cannot trust a word he said."

"I am aware," said Picard. "However, I doubt Q would lie to us like that. In all of our dealings with him, Q has never openly lied to us. Bend the truth, maybe. But lie?"

"Either way, to be safe, we should assume most of what he said is false. At least, until we prove otherwise," replied Commander Riker.

"Agreed. Now, what to do from here? One this for sure, we can't stay out here," said Picard, suppressing a shiver. "And if I know Q at all, he won't let us beam up to the ship until he is satisfied that we have done what he wants of us, and possibly learned some kind of lesson."

"What 'lesson' do you think he wants us to learn this time around?"

"I don't know."

* * *

As the four Alicorns and one Changeling left the building, the tension in the square spiked again. This time, the guards for both factions looked slightly uneasy, as if they thought they would be would be ordered to attack each other.

A guard stepped forward and barked, "All those present, rise and show respect for the leaders of the sovereign nation of Equestria and the Changeling Empire!"

The talk throughout the square died as if it was cut by a knife.

Princess Cadance stepped forward. "I, Princess Cadance, am overjoyed and proud to announce that Equestria and the Changeling Empire have come to an agreement!"

There was a stunned silence, as everyone present absorbed this news. As each side started to shift about, still somewhat disbelieving, Princess Celestia stepped forward, clearing her throat. "Speaking for all the royals," she said, "I order all armies carrying the banner of Equestria to stand down. Any land captured by the Equestrian forces during the course of this war is to be withdrawn from. The trade embargo passed against the Changeling Empire is, as of this moment, officially repealed. No pony within Equestria or any of her allies is to harm a changeling. More directions to follow."

Her piece said, Celestia stepped back. Queen Chrysalis took her place and addressed her subjects: "As Queen of Queens, I order the following: All military operations against Equestria are to halt. All forces occupying pony territory are to withdraw to pre-war changeling territories immediately. Killing or otherwise harming a pony will be punished by death. More orders to follow."

Princess Cadance took the queen's place and announced, "This historic agreement will recorded as the Treaty of Crystals, to be signed by both parties. Messengers, carry the news. For, as of this moment, the war between Equestria and the Changeling Empire is over!"

The stunned silences lasted for a second or two more. Soon, the weight of what had happened set in, and both ponies and changelings alike began to drop their weapons and mingle amongst each other, talking about various things. Twilight noticed from the shifty eyes and the tension behaviors of both sides that the two sides didn't really trust each other. She pointed this out to Celestia, who smiled slightly.

"Of course they don't trust each other," she said. "Both sides did terrible things throughout the war. It will take some time for the wounds left to heal. But until then, we have won peace. Maybe not a smooth peace, but a peace nonetheless. Go. I know you want to be with your friends. Luna and I will deal with a few technicalities with the queen."

Princess Twilight hesitated for a moment, then nodded and ran – with as much dignity as she could muster, of course – to where she saw her friends talking amongst themselves.

"Well done, Twilight!" said Applejack.

Rainbow Dash gave her a light nookie, and Pinkie Pie jumped up and down in excitement.

"So, that's it, huh?" said Fluttershy. When everypony looked at her, she shrunk and and stammered, "I-I mean...the fi-fighting is over? I-It's jus-just kind of h-hard to believe. T-two years of it..."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but patted Fluttershy on the her back, saying "Yeah. It's over!"

"No more making those bland uniforms for me!" chimed in Rarity.

"Indeed, or dealing with the crop levy," added Applejack. "I _am_ getting reimbursed for that, right? That was several hundred bits worth of food." she asked, glaring in Twilight's direction.

Twilight raised her upper hooves, saying "I'll bring it up at the council, but I don't know. Right now, let's not worry about that. For now, peace has returned to Equus."

"Hear, hear!" exclaimed Rarity.

"You know what this calls for?" asked Pinkie.

"Let me guess: a party," said Twilight, silently rolling her eyes.

"That's right, a PAR...ty," said Pinkie, her eyes fixed on a point directly behind Twilight. Suddenly, she let out a gasp. "There's somepony new! But, wait...I don't think that's a pony..."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Ponies: The Final Frontier_

The four Starfleet officers continued their hike north, heading for the alleged city that Q had referenced earlier. Of course, the temperature was below zero degrees centigrade, so the trek was slow going.

"Captain," asked Data, who was having to check his pace to not get too far ahead of the rest of the company, "when we encounter these sentient ponies, will we do as Q asks of us? There is the Prime Directive to consider, after all."

The captain sighed, wishing for a moment that Data was human and able to feel the cold.

Before he could find a diplomatic way to tell the android to shut up, though, the question was take from him by a sudden and abrupt change in the landscape.

As they crossed over the last hill, the snowy landscape quickly leveled out and stayed that way for several kilometers. Near the four explores, the barren, snow-covered landscape suddenly changed to one that looked a lot less cold. Lush green grass and flowers thrived in the micro-environment, and there were many well-paved roads and elegant-looking buildings. Not too mention, there were several giant crystal spires of different colors, planted throughout the landscape seemingly at random.

"Captain," said Data, "It is extremely unlikely that foliage of this kind could possibly survive these conditions. Or that the border between the two environments would be so well-defined."

"Indeed," whispered Picard, fascinated. The flowers and greenery where so alike that of Earth, he could almost swear that he was back in his home village, La Barre, or at Starfleet Academy in San Francisco.

"So close to home, it's eerie," said Riker. "But how? Snow this deep could kill almost anything. By all rights, none of this greenery should be alive!" After thinking for a minute, Riker turned to Data and asked, "What are the odds that plant life similar to Earth would evolve on a planet across the galaxy? And be resistant to the cold?" As he asked, he felt something wet on his head. When he brushed it off, he saw that a snowflake had fallen on him, and that the sky had darkened. A storm was setting in.

Data opened his mouth, undoubtedly with some lengthy statistic as to _exactly_ how unlikely a coincidence that size would be, but was cut off by the captain.

"No, I doubt that these plants are immune to the weather."

"Captain? What makes you say that?"

Picard pointed at the sky. "See?" he asked, indicting the light snow that had started.

Riker, Worf, and Data all squinted at the sky. (Well, not Data.) After a few seconds, Data saw it.

"Captain, the snowflakes do not pass over the landscape where the plants and architecture are. Not only that, but the skies over that region are completely clear." At this, Data approximated a frown and asked, "Lieutenant Worf, did you detect any traces of weather technology when you scanned the surface?"

Worf shook his head. "No."

"Neither did I," observed Data. "Captain, a hypothesis. The visual interference I detected could have been caused by this anomaly."

Picard nodded. "That seems like a reasonable conclusion," he said. "But that doesn't answer the question of how. How is a species of...well, horses! - able to to control their weather without any of the technology we use back on Earth?"

Suddenly, the four Starfleet officers were blinded...again...by a bright flash of light.

"Q," snarled Worf. "I have had enough of this foolishness!"

Q yawned and turned to Picard, "Captain, please, restrain your dog. It's distracting." Before Picard could answer, though, Q had already moved on. "Now, if I heard correctly, you were wondering how these _ponies_ are able to govern their weather, hmm?" Again denying Picard or the rest of the crew an opportunity to speak, he pushed on, saying, "Well, here's a bright idea. How about you go and _ask them yourselves?_"

"Q, we've been through this before," sighed Picard.

"Oh, yes yes yes, your precious little _Prime Directive,_"Q replied, sarcasm dripping off of his words. "I guess that this is where you get all morally righteous, right? Where you start saying how _interference with alien cultures isn't beneficial_ and how it _causes more harm than good_, right?"

Picard tried to get a word in. He failed.

"Well, I happen to know that _you,_ Picard, have violated that supreme law at least three times. Probably more, but I really can't be interested enough to check. And you still haven't been punished. Not in any real amount."

"Now, given that this law is so lazily enforced, I'm led to believe that it isn't nearly as important as you claim it to be. So, again, I will offer you a choice. You can either walk there of your own free will, or I will simply drop you in the city. Your choice."

Picard wanted to point out that walking there _wouldn't_ be of his own free will, but decided against it. He sighed, then said, in a tone of defeat, "Well, Q, it appears you have left me with no meaningful alternative."

"That was the plan."

"Data, Riker, Worf? Let's move out," Picard said, resigned to fate. "Hopefully we will be able to salvage _something_ from this."

"Excellent idea, _mon capitaine. _Who knows? Maybe you _can_ teach an old dog new tricks." Laughing at his own joke, Q snapped his fingers and vanished.

"I have had just about enough of him," muttered Worf.

"Tell me about it," replied Riker. "Captain, we cannot seriously be going into that city."

Picard sighed. "Look at it this way," he said. "Which one would be more disrupting: a group of bipedal aliens walking into town, or a group of bipedal aliens _teleporting_ into town? This way, they're less likely to think we're some kind of invasion or have hostile intents."

"I wish he wouldn't play games with us," said Riker.

"So do I," Picard said. "Unfortunately, I can't see any way to avoid hearing his beat, so we just have to dance to it."

He stepped forward into the sheltered terrain, and instantly, there was a change. The captain felt warmth sweep over his body as the temperature rose from about negative one to approximately twenty-five degrees centigrade. A gentle wind past over him, and the wind seemed to take some of his troubles away. Suddenly, it didn't matter what Q was planning. Rather, what was important was _this moment_. The sensation was remarkably peaceful.

Shaking his head, Picard re-focused his thoughts. The cheery, upbeat feeling stayed with him, though.

"Well, that was invigorating," remarked Commander Riker when he crossed over himself.

"Indeed," said Picard. After a moment, he said "Well, it appears that the city is just a hundred or so meters away. Let's move, shall we?" With that, the captain turned and set the pace.

* * *

Twilight followed Pinkie's gaze for a moment._ Where is this...there!_ Sure enough, there were four creatures, all of them on what appeared to be...well, she wasn't quite sure what. They were too far away.

She wasn't the only one to notice, however. A disturbance was rolling across the warriors, pony and changeling alike, as they turned to face the odd-looking newcomers. As the creatures slowly approached the city, the changelings slowly grouped up, as if to form a more defensible block, while the pony warriors uneasily fidgeted with their weapons.

Glancing back, Twilight quickly and somewhat desperately scanned the crowd, looking for some trace of Celestia, Luna, Cadance – heck, even Chrysalis would have worked. Unfortunately, there was no trace of them.

"Guard!" Twilight yelled.

Two pegasus guards materialized in front of her.

"I need you two to keep ponies and changelings from panicking. I plan to meet with the newcomers."

"Your Highness, are you sure that's wise? They could be hostile," protested the guard on the left.

"That's true," admitted Princess Twilight. "However, if they were hostile, I'd imagine that they would not be slowly walking towards us at such an incredibly slow rate."

The guard blinked, then stepped forward, saying, "Ma'am, I cannot allow you to go without protection. Equestria needs you too much."

Twilight sighed. Clearly, the guard wasn't about to take no for an answer. _Ironic how I can't order my own guard around,_ she reflected, before saying "Fine. But keep those weapons out of the discussion."

"Of course, Your Highness."

"And stop calling me 'Your Highness!'"

* * *

_Those...horses (that still sounds strange!) appear to be fairly well-armed,_ thought Captain Picard, barely making out what appeared to be spears and swords.

"Data, what do you make of this?"

The android's face approximated another frown as he said, "It appears that the native life has developed the capability mass-produce weapons and equipment, as it appears that every one in front of us is armed, with weapons that correlate to medieval Earth. I estimate there to be a total of three thousand troops in front of us."

Riker let out a low whistle while Worf shifted uncomfortably.

"Well," replied the captain, "I suppose we should see what Q has in store for us."

As if on cue, a group of the creatures detached themselves from the others and started to walk towards the Starfleet officers.

"A welcoming committee?" Riker wondered out loud.

"Or a trap?" speculated Worf.

"Either way," replied Picard, "We should probably meet with them first."

With that, the party turned to meet with the others.

After walking for a few minutes, Picard could finally make out the individual creatures.

Approaching him were two...pegasuses? Pegasi? They both had gray coats, which was partially hidden by ordinate-looking gold armor, which had a turquoise-colored, star-shaped gem in the centre of the chest. In their right...hoof, they both carried a spear that was about a half foot shorter than Riker.

Behind the two soldiers was a creature that was, if possible, even stranger. He/She/It was lavender colored, and stood about a head or so shorter then Picard. What made her stick out even more, however, was the fact that the creature possessed both wings and a horn that reminded Picard of ancient Earth legends. On her head sat a gold, five-point crown, each point set with a magenta jewel, which probably indicated some sort of royal status.

The two guards crossed their spears in front of the lavender horse. Clearing his throat, the soldier on Picard's right said, "Presenting Princess Twilight Sparkle-"

Picard felt his eyebrows going up at the mention of the creature's...childish-sounding...name. Quickly, he re-asserted his diplomatic side, disciplining his face before anybody noticed his extremely brief lapse.

"-Head of the Council of Harmony," finished the soldier, and a pregnant silence set in, broken quickly when Picard made his introductions.

"I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the starship _Enterprise_, flagship of the United Federation of Planets. This is my first officer, Commander William Riker. He is Lieutenant Commander Data, and this is Lieutenant Worf." As he spoke, he indicated each member of his crew with a wave of his hand.

The...princess looked up into Picard's eyes for a long moment. Her magenta-colored eyes had an unmistakeable look of youth in them, but Picard also saw a light of intelligence in them. After a few awkward moments, the creature apparently decided to act, as she blinked twice, and with the air of somebody attempting to gather her thoughts, extended a ever so slightly timid "Hello."

_She's scared of us. Well, maybe not scared, but at least wary._

Apparently deciding to take a gamble, Commander Riker took a step forward, extending a hand.

That_ was not wise,_ Picard thought, as the two guards sprung forward, lowering their spears to be level with Riker's chest. Picard reached out to grab Riker, but the need was taken from him in one of the most wondrous, and yet terrifying things Picard had seen in many, many years.

The Princess's horn glowed a magenta color, and almost simultaneously, the two guards where also enveloped in a magenta field. The glow stopped the guards as well as any force field on the _Enterprise_ would, suspending them in the air. Then, the guards were gently pulled back to stand beside the Princess. Here, the glow surrounding them vanished.

If Picard had been any less of a master diplomat, his jaw would have fallen open.

Thankfully, his crew quickly recovered from the casual display of power shown by the Princess. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Picard saw Worf shaking his head and blinking rapidly, as if to clear his eyes. Data simply blinked once, then whispered "Fascinating" quietly, no doubt attempting to divine exactly how the Princess managed to do that.

_Ok...so it appears that these species possess a heightened form telepathy. Great._ Stifling these thoughts, Picard opened his mouth, only to close it again as the Princess took the moment to speak.

"Oh! Did I startle you? I'm sorry," she said, with a degree of humility.

The captain smiled slightly, saying, "It is quite alright, Princess."

The pony gave a ever so small wince at the title "Princess," Picard noticed. In the back of his mind, he filed that information away for further pondering.

The pony spoke again, saying, "I am sorry about that. Sometimes the guard _is more jumpy than is good for them._" Her last words were rather pointed, and Picard got the feeling that she butted heads with her guard often. She added, almost as an afterthought, "Though, the past two year's worth of war probably haven't helped..."

Picard cleared his throat, then said, "It is quite alright."

The princess looked around for a moment, then looked behind herself, trying to find something. What it was, Picard had no idea.

"Well," Twilight said, looking back to the captain and his companions. "You should come with me. I'll introduce you to some friends of mine, and I can already tell we have a lot to talk about."

With that, the Princess turned around, and started walking slowly back into town square.

"Well, they seem friendly enough," said Picard to his officers, "ignoring the little incident."

"Such power," observed Worf. "They could be formidable foes on the battlefield."

"But they don't seem to want to be our enemy," observed Riker. "They're more scared of us."

"Are you coming?" came the question from the Princess, some five meters ahead."

"Well, let us continue," said Picard. "If we want answers, then it appears she's our ticket to them."

With no further discussion, the bridge officers followed Princess Twilight into the Crystal Empire.


End file.
